Opposition Abounds - When Enemies Look Like Friends

Timeline

So we just covered Ezra 3 where we saw the beginnings of the first rebuilding and restoration.

We saw the people of God restore the burnt offerings and rebuild and restore the temple foundation.

Now here in Ezra 4 we are going to see them begin the work of rebuilding and restoring the temple itself

Text

Ezra 4:1-5

Ezra 4:1–5 CSB

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build. They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.

Message

1. Enemies Will Disrupt By Joining In

Ezra 4:1-2

I think this point is really important for us to understand because of the way this affects us.

And I’m going to lay it out from the start and then explain why.

This is important because it affects us by pushing us into one of two different areas of danger:

Blind Trust (Naivety)

Cynicism

First let’s talk about this idea of blind trust and why this is an area of danger.

This is particularly an area of danger partially because we have a Scriptural ignorance which will lead us into practical ignorance (or practicing/acting on ignorance)

Much like how we talked about discipleship through the lens of delegation and equipping in Ezra 3 - we talked about the unbiblical phrase “God won’t give me more than I can handle” and how that Scriptural ignorance leads us to practicing and acting on that ignorance leading us in dangerous territories (namely lone wolf Christianity)

Much like that example, is this example of blind trust.

We think this sounds kind of biblical because that is really how we have largely mis-defined ‘faith’

We have phrases like “blind faith” we have example given on tv and in movies of this religious character who says “but I have faith” as a this sort of get out of jail free card or some sort of blind, optimistic “hoping for the best”

But those things aren’t faith!

As one pastor puts it:

“Faith is not a call to believe in Things when common sense tells you not to Faith is not a mindless stab in the dark It is not a crossing of the fingers and hoping for the best It is not a leap into apparent nothingness It's a word that speaks of reasoned, Careful, deliberate, intentional thought Thought upon what? God and His promises

[Authentic Faith] is the confident assurance in events not yet seen.

This is what faith is my friends, positive certainty expressed in action ”

So what does this whole thing have to do with our text and this idea of enemies joining in

Because far too often, because we as a people and as a culture have come to understand and express ‘faith’ as this blind trust in God or in religion or whatever spirituality the person might claim.....we, in the church have come to accept the terms of that definition, and the ignorance of the biblical definition, has lead us into a practical ignorance where we now say things like

“I have faith in this person....” And what we are doing is, ignoring all the warning signs God has actually given us and we are blindly trusting as if everyone is inherently good and out for your own best interests, or even worse....

blindly believing that everyone is inherently good and is out to follow God and do what He says...

This may not sound too nice, and may offend many ears....but naivety and ignorance, they are not spiritual gifts....they are not fruit from the Spirit and they are not commended for the Christian walk.

Too many examples of Christians being led astray by people claiming to be of God and claiming to have the best interest in mind but had their been any careful consideration, it would not have happened

Too many biblical examples of this:

Eve is betrayed by the Serpent she thought had good intentions - exile from Eden

Israel takes on foreign wives and their gods thinking they could just do both - exile their land

The church of Thyatira (Book of Revelation) who accepts a prophetess who deceives them - they must be done with her or be cut off

Paul says to the church at Ephesus in Acts 20 that savage wolves will “come in among them” and will devour the flock

John says that there are those who left from among us who were never actually one of us - 1 John 2:19

Now, how do I know these people are enemies to the people trying to rebuild?

Well for one, the author writes it...

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin...”

But the question is really…how did the people know that these people weren’t honestly interested in helping?

Right? Cody didn’t you say in Ezra 3 about discipling and delegating and equipping? Why did they just turn these people down?

I want to read again what they people said when they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders

“Let us build with you, for we also worship your God...”

Their own language betrayed them. That’s the thing. Because if they really did worship the LORD

If they really did worship this God

They would have known that it would not have been a “your God” but rather “our God”

They would have known the countless times the LORD has said “I will be your God and you will be My people”

Exodus 6:7

Leviticus 23:12

Jeremiah 7:23 , 11:4 , 30:22

Ezekiel 36:28

There is a request for cooperation without claim to true faith

Discipleship cannot happen if you are not first a disciple

I cannot, nor can any person, disciple you in Christ if Christ has not first begun the process by making you His

You must be made new before you can act new

You must be made alive before you can be shown how to live

Now you might be thinking, was doesn’t that just make us skeptical of everyone and not invite anyone in?

No because that is the other dangerous territory on the other side of the road - Cynicism

That is a closing ourselves off to the world and God has never called us to that either.

We have to understand balance. The people here, we rejected as enemies because the work that was being done was the work of sons, that is, of children of God.

And I think that is the easiest way to understand this balance, is through the biblical lens of family, that is being a child of God, that is being born anew into God’s family

There are many people I invite into to my life and my household

We hang out, we work together, we laugh and cry together, but there are times, when I have to deal with my family. Whether its a family discussion on vision or where we want to be as a family, issues we face within our own house etc.

Likewise, as followers of the LORD we must understand that there are those, who will offer assistance but have no stake.....they will offer help but because their is no relationship there is no stake in the game.

2. The People of God respond through Actions of Ownership

Ezra 4:3

And all that we just talked about is evidenced in exactly how the people respond

Watch for this idea of ownership or this idea of togetherness as they respond

Ezra 4:3

Ezra 4:3 CSB

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

This gets at the idea of exclusivity which....in our day is a negative word

Notice this us here - it is not just exclusive just because, but rather on the basis of ideology

Especially in the work of rebuilding, how can you help rebuild if you are going a different direction?

Right? Imagine if you were given a task but a family member or someone you love, and your task was to carry an object from the car and into the house.

Now, the family member who asked, also asked other family to help so you have enough people to do the work....

Now let’s say as you and the family are lifting the object to bring into the house, a nearby neighbor sees you and says “hey family! I can help you guys as well!” and when they grab the object, they start pulling the wrong direction

Now in this scenario…you have a couple of options....you can allow the person to keep helping and pulling the other way and just try to fight them on it....you can let the object go and let them drag it the wrong direction.....

or…you can say, hey we as a family ....we got this...

There are some tasks that require exclusivity because of their importance and because of their direction

And the only proper response of us should be ownership.

That was the reason we say that the other people were rejected from the work and called enemies....they didn’t have ownership

They wanted to “help” but than said “your God”.....showing they had no ownership in the task

So as the people of God, in the midst of rebuilding, we need ownership.

We need the people of God, to be the people of God, and step up and say, this is the work my God has called me to

This is the work our God has called us to

And if I’m honest, here, and I don’t want to talk on this too long but if I’m honest here, this is where the church has seriously failed in the recent years. For too long we have punted on our responsibility in the work of rebuilding and restoration of our communities,

and have passed on that to preoccupy ourselves with other things hoping whoever does pick up our mantel, HOPING they have the peoples best interest in mind

Hoping they know the LORD and are doing it according to His word.

There are a lot of situations and organizations who have stepped in to pick up our slack who have done an fantastic job. They have begun and continued the work of restoration in our communities.

We at Missio Dei are partnered with one of those organizations - Pitcare.

They have stepped in and for a decade continued the work of restoration in our community.

But in others areas of the country.....there are community who aren’t so blessed.

Communities where no one has picked up the slack.

Where the church is pre-occupied as is everyone else

The work of rebuilding and restoration requires ownership

And much like we at Missio Dei have done with Pitcare....

It requires people banding together to say, “we know what our God has called us to. We will do this. We will make this happen LORD willing.

3. Enemies Will Disrupt By Seeding Doubt

Ezra 4:4-5

And look how the enemies responded!

There true colors instantly show.

They go from “we will help”

To discouraging the people from the work

We have to know and expect this to be coming.

Not everyone is interested in the idea of restoration - especially on God’s terms.

If we don’t know that, we will get surprised when we face opposition

I think we have been too trained in our American Christian walk to not expect opposition and on a level that is not just personal.....but political and systematic.

Because notice here, we don’t just have some individual Scrooge who is against rebuilding and restoration....but rather people who move in to masquerade as friends, who then move to seed doubt, who then move to bribing officials to frustrate the plans on a structural level.

This is a truth that the global church understands but not one that we really do.

The church in China is having its doors kicked in, mid service, and the people taken away never to be seen again!

We are talking about the systematic opposition against the work of the LORD.

We are talking about “Re-education Camps” , imprisonment, torture, and executions for people following Jesus

This is something so foreign to us here in the American Church

And I fear it because it should be foreign to us because we see it in Scripture.

And if we don’t prepare ourselves for the opposition the way we prepare ourselves for the work then we will freeze when the times comes.

Understand that following Jesus is not always easy. But the reward, eternal life, one that no one or no thing can take away from you.....that ....that is worth it.

So will you follow Jesus today? Will you turn from your life in sin and opposition to Him and follow Jesus today? If so reach out.

Or you, dear Christian, have you taken ownership. Have you said “I know what our God has called us to.” If not reach out